In light of marijuana legalization in multiple states, the use of Cannabis plant and its psychoactive ingredients, i.e., cannabinoids, in various foods and beverages, for example, coffee drinks, now becomes feasible.
The invention disclosed and taught herein generally relates to the method for making coffee products containing Cannabis ingredients. In particular, methods for making coffee products mixed with extractions of Cannabis concentrates.
Cannabinoid compounds are concentrated in a viscous resin produced in structures known as glandular trichomes of the Cannabis plant. At least 85 different cannabinoids have been isolated from the Cannabis plant, and some of the more studied cannabinoids include tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), cannabidiol (CBD), and cannabinol (CBN). THC is the primary psychoactive component of the Cannabis plant.
There are two major species of Cannabis, Cannabis Sativa and Cannabis Indica. Cannabis Sativa has a higher level of THC compared to CBD, while Cannabis Indica has a higher level of CBD compared to THC. It has been postulated that Cannabis strains with relatively high CBD:THC ratios are less likely to induce anxiety than relatively high ratios of THC:CBD. This may be due to CBD's antagonistic effects at the cannabinoid receptors, compared to THC's partial agonist effect. This likely means the high concentrations of CBD found in Cannabis Indica mitigate the anxiogenic effect of THC significantly. The effects of Sativa are well known for its cerebral high, hence it is often used during the day as medical Cannabis, while Indica is well known for its sedative effects and thus preferred at night time for medical Cannabis purposes. Indica plants are normally shorter and stockier plants than Sativas. They have wide, deeply serrated leaves and a compact and dense flower cluster.
Prior art cannabinoid products include U.S. Pat. No. 8,481,091 to Ross, which discloses an aerosol-based cannabinoid and U.S. Pat. No. 6,630,507 to Hampson et al., which teaches the use of cannabinoids as antioxidants and neuroprotectants. Further, published U.S. patent application Pub. No. US 2004/0049059 to Mueller discloses a method for producing an extract from cannabis plant matter, containing tetrahydrocannabinol and cannabidiol from ground dried cannabis plant matter that is subjected to a CO2 extraction to obtain an extract.
THC is the primary psychoactive component of the Cannabis plant, and its concentration varies from species to species of Cannabis. Further, there are various methods of extracting THC from the Cannabis plant. However, there are no methods as yet to provide Cannabis infused coffee drinks with consistent amounts of THC. Thus, there is a need in the art for methods of making coffee products with consistent amount of THC.